Ochsner Health

In part 2️⃣, registered nurses at Ochsner Medical Center, Trent and Lauren express what it means to be there when it matters most. Whether it’s making patients smile on their toughest days or growing their own skills across specialties, they’re proving care goes far beyond the operating room.💙 Be sure to check out part 1️⃣ of Career Conversations with Trent and Lauren, if you missed it. Learn more about nursing opportunities across Ochsner Health and apply today https://ow.ly/qwQB50Z2rSm ✨

Art has a way of bringing people together. At Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner, artist Bruna Petalla, brought our community's spirit to life through a one-of-a-kind mural. Watch the story behind the brushstrokes. Learn more about Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner Learn more about Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner here: https://ow.ly/wRMW50ZiOGM

Breakthroughs in action do not always begin in a lab. Sometimes they start with a question worth funding. The Ochsner Collaborative Intramural Research Program, in partnership with LSU Health Shreveport, awarded $50,000 in seed funding to Melyssa R. Bratton, PhD, QBRS, manager of the Biospecimen and Core Research Laboratory at LSU Health Shreveport. Co-Principal Investigator Sindhu Devarashetty, a breast oncologist at Ochsner LSU Health, received an equal award to support the same one-year study. Their research focuses on triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of the disease. The study will investigate the clinical, genomic and social factors associated with how patients respond to pembrolizumab-based neoadjuvant therapy, which combines immunotherapy with standard chemotherapy to shrink tumors before surgery. This work builds on Dr. Bratton's ongoing research, conducted in collaboration with Melanie Sheen, MD, who specializes in hematology and oncology at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Caitlin Taylor, MD, a hematologist and medical oncologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Bratton has presented this research at international meetings. It will leverage Ochsner's clinical data, biospecimen resources and collaborative oncology infrastructure to uncover why some patients respond differently to treatment. The findings could help identify predictors of treatment response and shape future strategies to improve outcomes for patients across the Gulf South.

Menopause affects every woman, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood chapters in women's health. Brain fog. Joint pain. Sleep disruptions. These are not just "side effects" of aging. They are real, documented symptoms that deserve real, expert answers. In the latest episode of Decoded, host Robin Barnes sits down with Elizabeth Lapeyre, MD, a board-certified gynecologist and integrative medicine specialist to break down the full picture of menopause and women’s wellness. Dr. Lapeyre brings decades of expertise to the conversation, including her role as medical director of the Menopause and Women's Wellness Center at Ochsner Baptist. She addresses the questions women are asking and the ones they did not know to ask. Watch the full episode here: https://ow.ly/305N50ZiLk4 And to learn more about Dr. Lapeyre: https://ow.ly/MR0K50ZiLk3 

Ochsner Health is now accepting applications for neurologists across our system. Whether you are just beginning your career and seeking mentorship or a seasoned expert ready to shape the future of neurological care, there is a place for you here. Hear from Dr. David Houghton, Robin C. Davis, MD, FAAN, and Dr. Bridget Bagert on what makes practicing neurology at Ochsner a meaningful and rewarding experience. View the full conversation: https://ow.ly/he0x50ZiImJ Apply now: https://ow.ly/5xT750ZiHbJ Explore physician careers at Ochsner Health: https://ow.ly/88oM50ZiHlC

Breakthroughs in action do not always begin with a startup. Sometimes they start with a workflow bottleneck. Korak Sarkar, MD, MHDS, FAAN, founding director of the BioDesign Lab at Ochsner Health, believes most physicians are already innovating without realizing it. “We all have workflow bottlenecks that we have workarounds for,” he said. “That’s the seed right there.” As a neuro-rehabilitation physician and associate chief medical informatics officer, Dr. Sarkar is turning that seed into real solutions, including a noninvasive brain-computer interface to restore everyday function and VR tools to expand access to neuro-rehabilitative care. His approach to intrapreneurship offers a clear-eyed roadmap for physicians ready to drive change from within: ✔️Align innovation efforts with your organization’s priorities. ✔️Build trust across clinical, IT, revenue and other departments. ✔️Be comfortable being wrong and ready to adapt fast. The average patient waits more than 30 days to see a neurological specialist. Dr. Sarkar's work is helping change that not from the outside, but from within. Read the full AMA article here: https://ow.ly/bmIW50ZiH3A

On May 9, Ochsner Health brought together clinicians, ethicists, trainees and healthcare professionals for a day of breakthroughs in action. The regional bioethics symposium gave participants a rare opportunity to step back from the pace of clinical work, reconnect with colleagues and wrestle with the gray-zone decisions that define so much of what we do in medicine. Local and national experts shared practical frameworks and deeply thoughtful perspectives on some of healthcare's most challenging ethical questions. The conversations were honest, rigorous and deeply human. None of it happens without the right people driving it. Special thanks to symposium co-chairs Namir Khandker, MD, senior physician in Neurocritical Care and Epilepsy and chair of the Bioethics Committee at Ochsner Medical Center, and Fawad Khan, MD, CPPS, FAES, FACNS, FAHS, section head for the Epilepsy Division and Headache Division at Ochsner Neuroscience Institute. Thanks also to the full programming and planning committee, our onsite operations teams, the Continuing Medical Education team and the University of Queensland Office of Academic Affairs for making this event possible.

After more than three decades of dedicated service, Dr. Robert Hart, Ochsner’s chief physician executive and president, Ochsner Clinic, has announced his planned retirement at the end of this year. His legacy is woven into the very fabric of Ochsner Health. Dr. Hart joined Ochsner in 1994 as a medical staff physician in Baton Rouge, and over the years, advanced through a remarkable progression of leadership roles, serving as department chair of pediatrics in Baton Rouge, regional medical director for Baton Rouge and later New Orleans, chief medical officer and executive vice president, and ultimately Ochsner’s chief physician executive and president, Ochsner Clinic. Under his decade of executive leadership, Dr. Hart helped advance the physician group practice culture and expand access to care across the Gulf South with more than 5,000 employed and affiliated physicians caring for more than 1.6 million patients annually in 90 specialties and subspecialties. Dr. Hart not only championed but also modeled that everyone at Ochsner, not just those at the bedside, shares the responsibility to deliver excellence for our patients and one another. Great leaders set an organization on a course to be better than they found it. Thanks to Dr. Hart, we are confident in that future. With great optimism, we are proud to announce that Dr. Brian Moore will become Ochsner’s chief physician executive and president, Ochsner Clinic in January. A respected head and neck surgical oncologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Moore led with distinction for more than a decade as director of the Ochsner Cancer Institute and system chairman of otorhinolaryngology and communication sciences, guiding his department to national recognition. He has most recently served as chief medical officer, South Shore and Bayou regions. His leadership journey also includes service in the U.S. Air Force as chief of surgery at Eglin Air Force Base, where he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, and his ongoing work as associate dean of clinical affairs for the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine.  Dr. Moore has a deep understanding of Ochsner Health, our patients, and the communities we serve, and his vision and servant leadership will ensure Ochsner remains the best place to deliver and receive care. We look forward to all that lies ahead under his guidance.  Here's to honoring an exceptional legacy and to the bright future we will build together.   

When you face a complex health challenge, you deserve a medical team that examines every angle to find the safest path forward. Recently, a team at Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans took on a highly complex brain tumor case. Led by attending neurosurgeon Marcus Ware Ware, MD, the team included neurosurgery resident Michelle Miller, Tulane University medical student Smruti Mahapatra and our medical staff. Because the tumor sat deep within the brain, the case called for careful, expert planning. Multiple experienced neurosurgeons reviewed the patient’s imaging and worked together to determine the best approach. To ensure the highest level of safety and precision, our specialists turned to innovative technology. Using advanced 3D printing, they created exact physical models of the patient’s brain, mapping out the safest and most effective surgical plan before entering the operating room. The result: a successful surgery and full removal of the tumor. This is what expert, collaborative care looks like. Learn more about how our team uses innovative 3D printing: https://ow.ly/Zkjs50ZhLk9

Recovery after heart surgery may look different than many patients expect. Aditya Bansal, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Ochsner, shares what patients are often surprised they can do after surgery and how the care team helps guide a safe recovery. Learn more about Dr. Bansal by visiting https://ow.ly/ru1t50Zhj4C.